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You Can Call Bing Crosby’s Former Coachella Valley Estate Your Own for $4.5 Million
In need of an oasis? Look no further than the late superstar Bing Crosby’s former desert estate in Rancho Mirage, California.
Having been listed on and off the market for over a decade, the midcentury modern home has a new asking price of $4.5 million. Sitting on roughly 1.5 acres in a gated community called Thunderbird Heights, the 6,700 square-foot home was built by the “White Christmas” singer in the 1950s. It includes five bedrooms, a home theater, a double-oven kitchen, an outdoor patio and jaw-dropping views of the Coachella Valley. Of course, the desert utopia also comes with its own pool, spa, putting green and an entire guest wing (with two bedrooms) for when company comes to stay.
The front yard of the home.
Kristofer Magenheim
The current owner, Robert Teller, first listed the property for $3.495 million in 2010. David Emerson and Alexandra Trejo of Compass now share the listing, and believe the strong local real-estate market will pull in attractive offers, according to The Wall Street Journal. For context, the median sale price in Rancho Mirage was up 32.4% in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2021, according to data from Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers & Consultants. “Our market is on fire,” Emerson tells the WSJ. “We’ve been in double-digit increases annually for the past several years.”
Back in 2005, Teller, a former ice cream industry entrepreneur and a real estate investor, bought the house for $2.625 million. According to reports, he said he bought it because his late wife, who was battling cancer at the time, wanted a home in the desert. The businessman was also drawn to the estate himself, as he shared an appreciation for Crosby with his father growing up. When his wife passed, Teller began listing the property—having found that he’s not as big a fan of the desert as his is of the entertainer.
The living room.
Kristofer Magenheim
Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby Jr. is one of the most popular entertainers of all time, known for both his singing and acting success from 1926 to 1977. In 1931, he launched his first radio show, and later went on to host the hugely popular “The Bing Crosby Show for Chesterfield” on CBS Radio. The actor starred in over 70 motion pictures including classics like “Road to Bali” and “High Society.” He went on to become an Oscar and Grammy award-winner before his death.
Outdoor patio with seating.
Kristofer Magenheim
For more information on Crosby’s Rancho Mirage estate, head over to Compass.com. Check out more images of the property below.
The home’s entrance.
Kristofer Magenheim
The kitchen.
Kristofer Magenheim
Views from the kitchen.
Kristofer Magenheim
Indoor seating with a view.
Kristofer Magenheim
One of the bedrooms.
Kristofer Magenheim
Master bathroom.
Kristofer Magenheim
A guest wing bedroom.
Kristofer Magenheim
The guest living room and kitchen.
Kristofer Magenheim
The pool at night.
Kristofer Magenheim
The backyard.
Kristofer Magenheim
Aerial view.
Kristofer Magenheim More
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Stevie Wonder Just Snapped Up This $14 Million Bel Air Mansion From a Saudi Prince
Ooh, baby! Stevie Wonder has signed, sealed and delivered himself to “Higher Ground” in Bel Air, where records reveal he’s dropped nearly $14 million on an elephantine hillside mansion. With views over the rugged surrounding mountains and shadowy canyons, the Mediterranean-style house is located in Bel Air Crest, the exclusive guard-gated community where other current and former residents have included NBA star Anthony Davis, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
Astute real estate watchers and Wonder fans may recall that the 71-year-old music icon is not new to the Bel Air Crest community. For the last several years, he and wife Tomeeka Bracy have been leasing another huge mansion in the same enclave—a house that happens to sit right next door to the main L.A. residence of one Gordon Ramsay. The Bracy-Wonders frequently stop by to sample their neighbor’s cooking, according to Ramsay himself.
While Wonder’s newly purchased mansion is further away from Ramsay, it’s still within walking distance of a world-class meal. And with nearly 20,000 square feet of living space, it will certainly require enough walking to work up a healthy appetite. There are 11 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms, plus attached staff quarters and a 2,550-bottle wine cellar. Though the place was built in 2009, its yellowish-beige stucco exterior harks back to a distinctly ’90s, suburban sort of vintage.In 2012, the massive home was sold for $13.3 million to HH Prince Mohammed bin Faisal bin Saud Al Saud, a son of Princess Etab bint Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and a maternal grandson of Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who was crown prince of Saudi Arabia from 2005-2011. His Highness bought the house as a single man, though in 2013 he married Princess Madawi bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The couple apparently didn’t spend much time in Bel Air—over the last few years, the giant house has been leased out, most recently at a princely monthly rate of $75,000, per listings.
Here’s a virtual spin through the Wonder-ful house, which is one of the largest and likely one of the most lavish homes in Bel Air Crest.The front of the property.
Zillow
Positioned at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, the Tuscan-influenced house stands tall behind iron gates. There’s a front-facing three-car garage and additional driveway space for a couple more vehicles.
Views within the home’s entrance.
Zillow
Inside, the double front doors open into a hanger-sized foyer that soars two—or possibly three—stories tall, and it topped by skylights for a more ethereal vibe.
The living room.
Zillow
Linestone flooring extends to the multiple lounge areas and sitting rooms. This living room is serviced by a mahogany wet bar.
The luxe formal dining room.
Zillow
There’s also a formal dining room with two chandeliers and seating for 12.
The office/library space.
Zillow
The library/executive office is also beige, though it additionally sports intricate wood paneling and lavish built-in bookcases.
The spacious family room.
Zillow
The family room, which offers a large fireplace.
The kitchen.
Zillow
The oversized kitchen is capable of catering large events and features high-quality stainless appliances and an island with beige granite countertops.
Views from one of the home’s terraces.
Zillow
Numerous terraces and loggias offer shady space for dining and lounging.
A hallway with wooden panels inside the mansion.
Zillow
The wood-paneled interiors go for an antique, vaguely museum-like appearance.
The primary bathroom.
Zillow
The primary bathroom features a central soaking tub — grandly raised with steps up, naturally — underneath a giant glass skylight.
Views from the master suite terrace.
Zillow
The master suite also has a private terrace with enough room for intimate dinner parties and views over undeveloped hills.
A hallway with the home’s elevated shown.
Zillow
For convenience, a wood-clad elevator services all of the home’s three levels.
The pool.
Zillow
The infinity-edged pool features an inset spa. While the property spans more than a half-acre, the house takes up a substantial part of the lot. Still, there are plenty of grassy play areas and a park-like collection of beautifully mature trees.
A look at the backyard of the home.
Zillow
Emanouel Ourshano of Platinum Estates held the listing; Nick Segal and Rick Ojeda of Avenue 8 repped the buyer.
The pool light up at night.
Zillow
In addition to his new Bel Air digs, Wonder’s sizable property portfolio still includes commercial property in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley, two houses in the Hollywood Hills and an estate in Alpine, New Jersey. More
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Formula 1 Star Lewis Hamilton Gets $50 Million for One of His Two NYC Apartments
Almost as soon as he bought the Manhattan triplex penthouse in early 2017, for a scorching $44 million, front-of-the-pack Formula One racecar driver Lewis Hamilton, one of the wealthiest sportsmen in the world, with an annual haul estimated at close to $50 million, caught a classic case of the Real Estate Fickle.
The recently knighted 36-year-old Brit, who won the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix last week and will start this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in the coveted pole position as the odds-on favorite, never even moved into the 8,900-square-foot Tribeca aerie before he splashed out with the purchase of another insanely expensive penthouse just a block away and flipped the unwanted triplex back on the market just over two years ago for $57 million.
With no takers at the sky-high price, the ask was chopped to $52 million before some Richie Rich came along and paid $49.5 million for the six-bedroom and six-full-and-two-half-bath spread, to date the highest price paid this year for a downtown condo. As noted by the New York Post, the buyer’s identity is shielded behind an LLC with a Seattle address and there’s plenty of unsubstantiated speculation racing around the celebrity gossip grapevine the new owner is a big tech heavy hitter like Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos. (If you know, let us know!)
Inside the light-filled triplex with excessive space.
StreetEasy
An elevator opens directly into the foyer and a separate elevator services the penthouse’s three floors, while the double-height corner living room showcases exposed wood support beams and a 20-foot ceiling. Configured around a huge island with two dishwashers, the separate kitchen sports high-end finishes and all the culinary bells and whistles $50 million can buy.
Floor plans show there are three and potentially four guest bedrooms on the second level, along with a primary suite that consists of a private study, a morning bar and a walk-in closet. The main bedroom’s clean-lined bathroom is lavish though windowless. A den just off the main floor living room has an attached bath that makes it easily convertible to a sixth bedroom.
The top floor is devoted to a spacious lounge complete with wet bar and powder room. The lounge spills out through walls of accordion-fold glass doors to a pair of terraces, the larger a massive wrap around affair with sweeping city and river views. Marketing materials indicate there’s a plunge pool, though it’s not clear it’s been installed, and the unit transfers with two deeded parking spaces in the secured, on-site garage.A view of the skyline and neighborhood from the home’s interior.
StreetEasy
It’s unlikely the mystery buyer took out a standard mortgage but had they, the monthly costs for the penthouse (mortgage, taxes and building fees) would tally up to more than a quarter million bucks. Nick Gavin at Compass represented both Hamilton and the buyer.
Converted from a 19th-century book binding factory, the handsome, low-rise red-brick building has had massive appeal to high-profile people looking to come and go without being peeped by the public or snapped by paparazzi. The building has an enclosed motor court that allows that. There’s also a courtyard garden, a gym and a spectacular indoor swimming pool. A short list of the many celebs who own (or have owned) units in the building include Mike Myers, Rebel Wilson, Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Meg Ryan, Jake Gylenhaal and Harry Styles.
The Formula One star’s other Tribeca penthouse was acquired in late 2018 for just over $40.7 million, and online records indicate it sprawls across more than 6,500 square feet with four bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. Lewis, whose primary residence is in Monaco, is reported to also maintain homes in Geneva and London.
Check out more images of the property below.StreetEasy
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